Living with Shakespeare : Saint Helen's Parish, London, 1593-1598

Marsh, Geoffrey

Edinburgh University Press（2021/04発売）

Edinburgh University Press（2021/04発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 512 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9781474479721
• DDC分類 822.33

Full Description

In the 1590s, Shakespeare was working with and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men at The Theatre, Shoreditch while he was living in the parish of St. Helen's, Bishopsgate Street. Living with Shakespeare examines his parish, church, locale, neighbours and their potential influences on his writing--from the radical 'Paracelsian' doctors, musicians and public figures--to the international merchants who lived nearby. Packed with new discoveries from difficult-to-access manuscript records this book reveals the parish's complex social, religious, political and neighbourly intersections and influences.
Taking a section of Shakespeare's life, (c. 1593-1598), as he evolved from new 'arriviste' in London to established theatre professional, the book examines the 100 or so families who lived in his parish and demonstrates how their interests, work and connections formed part of the background environment that Shakespeare probably borrowed from as he reworked existing stories. These people form a fascinating story, which sheds new light on the influences that shaped a great writer as he finished Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Merchant of Venice and began to re-establish his family name, status and reputation.
Marsh's ability to weave primary research and discoveries together with historical narratives, transports readers into Shakespeare's world and allows them a real glimpse into his daily life.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction: 1593, The Theatre, Shakespeare, St. Helens, English and You

Part I. 1576, London, The Theatre and hunting for China

1. 1576, a starting point

2. James Burbage plans his theatre - The Theatre

3. Kick-starting the British Empire

Part II. The Theatre 1576-1598

4. Mr. Burbage builds The Theatre

5. Trouble at The Theatre

6. The early years of The Theatre 1576-86

7. The 1594 changes at The Theatre & Shakespeare's new focus

Part III. The parish of St. Helens, Bishopsgate Street

8. William Shakespeare and the parish of St. Helens

9. Searching for Shakespeare's lodgings in St. Helens

10. What attracted Shakespeare to St. Helens?

Part IV. Life, death and religion in St. Helens

11. St. Helens church - the anchor of the parish

12. A walk around the interior of St. Helens church

13. Dreaming of English exploration, trade, wealth, colonisation and empire

Part V. Shakespeare's neighbours in St. Helens

14. The radical doctors of St. Helens

15. Dr. Peter Turner visits a patient at the Sign of The Horse Head Inn

16. Lawyers, musicians, an antiquary and more

17. St. Helens as a micro-cosmos - a theatre of London

Part VI. Bewitchment in London

18. Witchcraft in Thames Street

19. Mary Glover is bewitched in All Hallows-the-Less, Thames Street

20. An exorcism in Shoreditch

Part VII. Coda - the advancement of English

21. Honey or cane sugar?

Appendix. Detailed Documentation: Where did Shakespeare live in St. Helens and who might have been his landlord?

1. Introduction

2. What accommodation in St. Helens would have appealed to Shakespeare?

3. Identifying the location of Shakespeare's residence(s)

4. When did Shakespeare leave St. Helens?

5. Who was John Pryn, Pryne, Prynne, Pryme, Prymme?

6. Who was John Hatton?

7. Three scrivenersand more? Who were Thomas Wrightson, John Harvey and Israel Jorden, Jordan, Jordaine, Jordayne, Jurden?

8. Who were John, Antonia and Katherine Jeffrey - immigrant embroiderers?

9. Some other residents of St. Helens in the 1580s/90s

BibliographyIndex